Today I finished the style test portrait for Diana, in preparation for making very large oil painting portraits of her children.

The finished painting is 9″x12″ on canvas board.  It was made in eight sessions.

This is the color and style sample portrait for a series of much larger commissioned paintings. They are intended to match the color palette and style of family portraits she already has which were made the better part of a century ago. Unlike most modern portraits, the ones in her family have a very cool feel to them, with an olive toned background. However, I need to balance that coolness with warmth in the skin. To that end, the underpainting color is a dark, cool red. After finishing this painting, I believe I will need to underpaint with cool green instead when I create the larger portraits.

Project: Diana Portrait